This invention relates generally to the field of apparatuses and methods for recovering oil leaks or spills, particularly leaks or spills in large bodies of water, and more particularly to any such apparatuses and methods adapted to recover oil plumes situated below the water surface.
As evidenced by the increasing number of oil tanker accidents, pipeline leaks and drilling catastrophes, an example of which recently occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, there is a serious need for means and methods to contain and recover oil or other hydrocarbon products from large bodies of water. To date, most solutions have been directed at floating surface oil or oil that has washed ashore. It has been discovered that because of natural dispersion, degradation and emulsification, leaks located at significant depths, or chemical dispersants applied to the surface oil, significant amounts of hazardous oil from a large spill will remain dispersed at distances below the surface of the water, sometimes thousands of feet down. The negative impact of such sub-surface oil is not yet fully known, but estimates and hypotheses purport that the damage may be catastrophic.
It is known to utilize surface skimmers pulled behind boats to skim and absorb oil off the water surface. These devices typically comprise floating booms or other floating or surface oriented devices. The known devices and methods are ineffective against sub-surface oil plumes.
One of objects of this invention is to provide apparatuses and methods to capture and remove the sub-surface oil in an effective manner.